21 years after its launch in the UK, the lovely Mazda MX-5 is still by far and away the most popular roadster in UK, the country that practically invented roadsters. The car has just been named ‘Best Convertible’ by CarBuyer in its inaugural ‘Car of the Year’ awards.

The MX-5 beat the short-listed models from Porsche, Audi, Peugeot and Volvo to claim the convertible crown, scoring 4.6 stars out of 5 (judged by website visitors and the experts from Auto Express, Evo and Octane magazines). Sure there are prettier, faster and even more affordable alternatives, but as a package the MX-5 is pretty much unbeatable. It offers an enormous amount of fun, decent amount of kit, extraordinary reliability and a cool image, all at a reasonable price.

In fact affordability is the reason why it’s so popular. It is the world’s best-selling two-seater roadster and has recorded over 100,000 sales in UK.

This spring, the regular 10-strong Mazda MX-5 model range, which is priced from £17,975 to £23,205 (OTR), is boosted by the arrival of two special editions.  These new models, called the Mazda MX-5 Kendo, are available in two versions – the 1.8i Kendo soft-top priced at £19,255 (OTR) and the more powerful 2.0i Kendo Roadster Coupe with the world’s fastest folding powered roof (up or down in 12 seconds), costing £22,320 (OTR).  The new model is named after ‘The way of the Sword’ – a modern Japanese martial art and features unique premium specification including stone leather interior, tinted alloy wheels and chrome exterior accents. Available in two new exterior colours Sparkling Black Mica, and new to Mazda in the UK, the premium-looking Dolphin Grey Mica.

Commenting on the Mazda’s success, the CarBuyer judges stated, “The Mazda MX-5 reins supreme as the ultimate drop top choice.  With a soft-top model, the clever folding hard-top Roadster Coupe and even an automatic option, there is something for everyone – and the tiny two-seater is great fun to drive.

“Cars that are this much fun rarely make so much sense.  The latest MX-5 has a racy new look to match the rest of the Mazda 2011 line-up and comes with attractive prices.  Build quality is brilliant and reliability first rate, while the 1.8 and 2.0 engines provide just the right amount of performance.  Best of all, this sporty roadster is no bone-shaker, so it’s as comfortable as it is good to drive.”